Cash drawer



Feb. 9, 1937. w. J. PASINSKI CASH DRAWER Filed Sept. 15, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Mal/er J. Pawns/11 BY 7 mm, 9%.

Feb. 9, 1937, w. J. PASlNSKl CASH DRAWER Filed Sept. 15, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS INVENT R gk lfer J l hsmski %&bzz WMWM Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,l)70,064 CASH DRAWER Walter J. Pasinski, Howell, Mlcln, asllgnor to Burroughs Adding Machine Company, Detroit, Micln, a corporation of Michigan Application September 15, 1933, Serial No. 689,663

7 Claims.

This invention relates to cash drawers and more particularly to cash drawers adapted to be controlled from a cash machine in such a manner as to be released for opening upon certain operations of the cash machine.

Considerable difllculty has been encountered in the past in providing entirely satisfactory cash drawer assemblies for cash machine use, particularly in providing first a surrounding housing that can be made economically from a production standpoint, and second, a mounting and opening means which permits easy and uniform opening of the drawer.

Accordingly, it is the general purpose of this invention to provide an improved cash drawer assembly made from elements that can be economically manufactured on a production basis.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a cash drawer housing that may be made economically on a production basis.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a cash drawer mounting which permits free and easy movement of the drawer substantially regardless of the contents of the drawer.

Other objects and their resultant advantages will be apparent from the following description given in connection with the drawings in which,-

Figure 1 is a perspective view from the rear of the cash drawer with the housing cut away in part to show the interior construction and with the cash drawer partly open.

Fig. 2 is a right side elevation with the housing partly cut away and the cash drawer closed.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the cash drawer and housing with the top plate of the housing removed; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation illustrating the cash drawer roller carriage with two of the rollers removed.

For purposes of illustration, the cash drawer is shown as being mounted within a housing upon which a cash machine such as a cash register may be mounted, although it will be manifest that the invention is useful for other applications.

The cash drawer I may be constructed of wood or any other suitable material and is usually divided into partitions of suitable size to receive coins and currency.

Cash drawer housing flange I and rear and side walls composed of a U-shaped metal strip 6 of sufllcient width according to the height of drawers desired. The top and bottom plates are preferably spot-welded to the side wall strip, thus providing an enclosure 5 closed on three sides and open at the front to permit insertion of the drawer.

To give access to the interior of the housing during assembly for purposes of spot-welding, the top and bottom plates are provided with central 19 openings 1 which are later closed by wooden plates 0 which also serve to deaden the noise of the cash drawer operation and to give further rigidity to the housing. The top plate is further provided with four apertures to receive the 15 threaded shanks of four channelled studs 9 which receive the side plates of the cash machine mounted on the top of the housing. The lining plates 8 can, of course, be of any other material of sufficient strength and rigidity, although some 20 sound deadening material is preferable.

The foregoing housing construction provides an extremely rigid housing, eliminates the occurrence of splits in forming an .integral casing, and all at a minimum cost of production.

Cash drawer mounting The cash drawer should be supported in such a manner that it will operate freely and noiselessly by very slight inward pressure applied to 30 any point along the front of the drawer so that it may be closed by an operator standing to one side of the drawer as is often desirable. Furthermore, the cash drawer must not sag when fully opened regardless-of the weight of the contents 35 of the drawer. In order to accomplish this the drawer should be rigidly confined against any movement in vertical or horizontal directions except opening and closing directions.

To this end a pair of U-shaped raceways I! are 40 secured to each side of the housing in horizontal position preferably by being welded to brackets i3 (Figs. 1 and 2) welded to the inner surfaces of the side walls of the housing. The flanges of the U-shaped raceways I! provide upper and lower 45 tracks for rollers, as will be explained. Each raceway is provided with a keyhole slot M, the large end of which permits the passage of the channelled head of a stud l6 extending laterally from a sliding roller carriage H, the' smaller portion 59 of the keyhole slot being sufliciently narrow to prevent passage of the head of the stud. The carriage is thus removably secured to the tracks and may slide a limited distance relatively thereto. Each carriage is formed from a strip of metal 55 slightly arched and provided with a pair of notches at each end to receive and support an upper and lower roller l8 at each end. The rollers are formed with annular grooves l9 by means of which the rollers are removably secured to the notched corners of the carriage against axial movement while permitted to rotate. The car riage supports the rollers in substantially longitudinally spaced relation sufliciently vertically spaced to permit the rollers and the carriage to hi; and slide between the upper and lower flanges or tracks I2 in contact therewith.

Fixed to each side of the drawer l is an inverted L-shaped track 20 secured to the sides of the drawer by screws or the like with its laterally projecting flange extending parallel to the upper and lower tracks and between the upper and lower rollers. As an additional means of strengthening the track and further fastening it to the drawer, the lower edge of the track is provided with a series of lateral lugs or tangs 2| which enter narrow grooves 22 provided in each side of the cash drawer.

The forward end of each track I2 is provided with a vertical roller 23 pivoted between the upper and lower flanges of the tracks I 2 and positioned to engage track 20 to prevent lateral movement of track 20 and drawer l. Roller 23 also acts as a limit stop for the forward movement of rollers 18. Rubber bumpers 24 secured in position by metal plates 26 at the forward end of the housing (Fig. 3) serve to limit inward movement of the drawer by engaging the front of the cash drawer when the drawer is closed.

In assembling the drawer the carriages are first placed in the tracks l2 by inserting the heads of studs l6 through the large end of slots l4 and then sliding .the carriages slightly rearwardly. The drawer may then be assembled by inserting the lateral extending flanges of tracks 20 between each pair of upper and lower rollers, the latter being retained within tracks l2 by the carriages H. The rollers I 8 and carriages are completely enclosed on three sides by the U-shaped track, on the fourth side, by the drawer and L-shaped track and are thus protected from dust or dirt.

The foregoing mounting provides a very strong and rigid traveling support for the drawer which is free to travel forward and backward and is at all times supported by the four rollers. The action of the drawer is always free and uniform regardless of the amount of weight in the drawer which may be closed by a slight inward pressure at any point on the front of the drawer; not necessarily at the center thereof.

Furthermore, the drawer is completely supported by rollers regardless of which direction it may be pushed by an operator or urged by the contents thereof, does not sag when loaded and open and is prevented from scraping against any part of the casing during operation.

Drawer opening means It is desirable that the drawer always open with auniform speed that is not materially affected by the weight of the contents of the drawer and without the objectionable kick out usually present in cash drawers.

For his purpose a crank 30 is pivoted at 3| to the lower plate 8. One arm of the crank is provided with an upstanding stud 32 which engages a plate 33 secured to the rear end of drawer l. The other arm of crank 30 is attached to one end of a relatively long tension spring 34 extending sub stantially entirely across the lower plate and having its other end secured to a pin 35 fastened to the lower plate at the opposite side thereof. The spring tends to rotate crank 30 counterclockwise to normally open drawer I. The movement of the crank is limited, however, by a pin 36 engaging the arm of the crank to which the spring is applied to limit the effect of the crank upon the drawer to a, portion of its opening movement only, after which the drawer is free to travel by momentum or under manual control of the operator.

The foregoing opening means provides a substantially uniform and easy opening effort on the drawer which eliminates sudden kick out and the added effort necessary to return the drawer to closed position against short compression springs, particularly as it approaches closed position.

Latch mechanism The usual type of drawer latch which has a hooked nose spring pressed over a strike or latch arm not only offers considerable resistance to release of the latch because of the spring tension of the latch against the strike arm, but permits of no adjustment to bring the front of the drawer flush with the housing.

To overcome these deficiencies and to provide a more satisfactory latch, a vertical rotary looking post 31 is employed being journaled in upper plates 4 and 8. The lower and drawer-engaging end of the locking shaft is half round as at 38 (Figs. 1 and 3), for purposes which will hereinafter appear.

The rear plate 33 secured to the rear of the drawer is provided with a rearwardly extending shelf 39 to which a strike or latch arm 40 is pivoted at 4|. The latch arm is secured to said shelf for adjustment about its pivot by means of a bolt and nut 42 which passes through the latch arm and through an arcuate slot 43 in the shelf 39. By this means an adjustment is provided for varying the locked position of the drawer to bring the front thereof flush with the housing. The free end of latch arm 40 is bifurcated to provide a locking slot or groove 44 having a cam faced abutment 45 at its entrance to provide a restricted opening thereto of sufficient width to permit passage of the lower half round end of looking post 38 when the flat portion is parallel to the side of the drawer and to prevent passage of the half round or full diameter portion thereof when it is in the Fig. 3 or normal position. Accordingly, when the post 31 is turned in one direction to present the flat side or reduced portion substantially parallel to the slot 44 it will pass through the entrance to the slot and when turned slightly about its own axis it will not pass out through the slot. v

Locking post 31 may be rotated by any suitable means but is usually controlled by the mechanism of the cash machine located on top of the drawer housing. For this purpose a crank plate 46 is secured to the upper end of post 31, one arm of which carries a pin 41 positioned to engage a slot in the arm of a detent 48 secured to a short shaft 49 journaled in the upper plates 4 and 8 and normally urged counterclockwise by a spring 50 to bring detent 48 into locking engagement with pin 41 as shown in Fig. 1. The other arm of crank 46 also carries a pin 5| which is engaged by the forked end of a control lever 52 actuated from the cash machine upon certain operations thereof. Control lever 52 may, of course, be actuated and controlled from any other source, Upon movement of control lever 52 in one direction locking post 3! is rotated sumciently to permit its passage out of groove 44 in latch arm 40. When in this position spring 34 through crank 30 will open the drawer, at the same time pin 41 enters a notch in detent 43 thus retaining shaft 31 in opening position. Upon closing the drawer a finger 53 projecting from the shelf 39 of plate 33 engages a pin 44 projecting downwardly from an arm 5| fixed to the pivot shaft 49 of detent 43 and rotates the latter to release pin 41 to release locking shaft 31 to permit it to be rotated to its normal locking position by a spring (not shown).

To cushion the drawer at the outer limits of its outward movement a downwardly projecting lug 58 is provided on the rear end of the drawer which engages one of the rubber bumpers 24.

The foregoing latch mechanism because of its half round rotary latch member does not resist opening of the drawer and therefore contributes to the ease with which the drawer mechanism may be operated. Furthermore, the adjustment of the latch arm permits adjustment whereby the front edge of the drawer may be adjusted with respect to the front edge of the housing. For further details of the latch mechanism, reference is made to my co-pending application, Serial No. 689,664, filed December 15, 1933, which is directed specifically to this subject matter.

Bell mechanism A bell ringing mechanism is provided to indicate each opening of the cash drawer. For this purpose a yoke 53 is journaled upon a stud 6| supported in a bracket upon the end of bracket 33, the yoke being urged downwardly by a spring, (not shown) and the downward rotation being limited by an extension 62. Yoke 59 is further provided with a rearwardly extending arm 63 which terminates in an upwardly extending end 64 having a horizontal cam edge 66 (Fig. 3). End 64 and cam edge 66 are positioned to engage the upstanding end 61 of a crank arm 68 pivoted at 69 and carrying upon its opposite end a knocker ll positioned to strike a bell 12. When the drawer is closed by the operator the upturned end 64 of arm 63 engages the upstanding end of crank 68 and passes completely over it until the cam edge 66 passes beyond the arm as is shown in Fig. 3. Upon opening the drawer cam edge 66 engages the upturned end 61 of crank arm 68 and actuates the crank and causes the striker to hit the bell. A spring 14 furnishes the power for causing the blow of the striker and also retains the striker arm in normal position after the blow.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that there has been provided a complete cash drawer assembly which may be made in commercial quantity production, which is rigidly constructed throughout, and in which the cash drawer may be returned with ease, whether it be urged by the operator from the center of the drawer front or from any point thereof. The

housing construction, the drawer mounting, and

the drawer opening means, all contribute to reduce frictional resistance to operation and produce uniform and substantially noiseless operation.

While this invention has been illustrated in conn ction with a cash machine cash drawer, it will be manifest that the invention may be applied to other uses. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A cash drawer assembly comprising a housing composed of a U-shaped metal strip providing a rear wall and two side walls of the housing. flanged top and bottom plates secured to said U-strip providing top and bottom walls to the housing, one of said plates being provided with an opening therethrough to give access to the interior of said housing during assembly and a fibrous sound insulating lining and stiffening member secured to said latter plate closing said opening, a cash drawer within said housing and means carried by said U-shaped strip for slidably supporting said drawer for movement through the open end of said housing.

2. A cash drawer assembly comprising a housing composed of a U-shaped metal strip providing a rear wall and two side walls for the housing, flanged top and bottom plates secured to said U-shaped strip providing top and bottom walls for the housing, said top and bottom plates having openings therethrough to provide access to the interior of said housing when assembled, flbrous strengthening and sound insulating plates secured to said top and bottom plates for closing said openings therein, a cash drawer within said housing, and means carried by said U-strip for slidably supporting said drawer for movement through the open end of said housing.

3. A drawer assembly comprising a housing, a drawer therein and means for slidably mounting said drawer for movement into and out of said housing comprising a pair of fixed, horizontal U- shaped tracks secured to said housing, a pair of horizontally disposed L-shaped tracks secured to said drawer, a pair of roller carriages, upper and lower horizontally disposed rollers secured to said carriages, one of said pairs of tracks being provided with a key holeslot, and means for detachably securing said carriages to said latter pair of tracks comprising a stud extending laterally from each carriage and adapted to engage in said key-hole slots.

4. A drawer assembly comprising a housing, a

drawer therein, and means for slidably mounting said drawer within said housing comprising a pair of fixed horizontal U-shaped tracks, a pair of roller carriages, upper and lower horizontally arranged rollers, means for detachably securing said rollers to said carriages, means for removably securing said carriages to said U-shaped tracks for limited movement relatively thereto, and a pair of fixed horizontal L-shaped tracks and having lateral flanges extending between said rollers.

5. A drawer assembly comprising a housing, a drawer therein, and means for slidably mounting said drawer within said housing comprising a pair of fixed horizontal U-shaped tracks secured to said housing, a pair of roller carriages, upper and lower horizontally arranged rollers, means for detachably securing said rollers to said carriages, means for removably securing said carriages to said U-shaped tracks for limited movement relatively thereto, and a pair of horizontal L-shaped tracks secured to said drawer and having lateral flanges extending between said rollers, said L-shaped track also having supporting lugs extending into said drawer.

6. A drawer assembly comprising a housing, a drawer therein, and means for slidably mounting said drawer for movement into and out of said housing comprising a pair of fixed horizontal drawer therein and means for slidably mounting said drawer for movement into and out 0! said housing comprising a pair of fixed horizontal tracks disposed one upon each side of said drawer, a second pair of horizontal tracks disposed one upon each side 01' said drawer, a pair of roller carriages, upper and lower horizontally disposed rollers secured to said carriages, one of said pairs of tracks being provided with a slot and means for detachably securing said carriages to said latter pair of tracks comprising means extending laterally from each carriage and adapted to detachably engage in said slots.

WALTER J. PASINSKI. 

